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Despite record enrollment of women in medical school, they hold only about one-third of clinical trial principal investigator roles. A presenter at the 2026 Women in Medicine Summit highlighted systemic barriers — from limited access to trial networks to fewer mentorship opportunities — and called for clearer pathways from participation to leadership.
Women are entering medicine in record numbers, but the leadership pipeline for clinical trials hasn't kept pace. At the 2026 Women in Medicine Summit, cognitive neurologist Dr. Neelum T. Aggarwal highlighted a striking gap: across nearly 246,000 clinical trials conducted between 2005 and 2023, women made up just 32.4% of principal investigators — and the disparity was even sharper in late-phase and industry-funded trials.
The consequences go beyond optics. Trials led by women investigators are associated with greater enrollment of women participants, meaning the gender gap in leadership may be directly influencing whose health outcomes get studied. Dr. Aggarwal emphasized that true trial leadership — designing studies, selecting endpoints, serving on steering committees — remains disproportionately male.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Who leads clinical trials shapes what questions get asked — and whose health gets prioritized. Closing this gap requires structured mentorship, protected research time, and deliberate sponsorship to move women from trial participants to trial architects.
